Machine for wrapping lollipops



June 17, 1941.

F.R.CLARK MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR fiA/vc/s' Boas Cum 'Q M A ORNEYS June'17, 1941. R CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EA/v00 IP05: CZARA' A ORNEYS June 17 1941. F. R. CLARK MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed. Sept. 26, 1938 18, Sheets-Sheet 5 June 17, 1941. R CLARK MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR fimvc/afiow CA ARA 99% TORNEY June 17, 1941. CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR fkq/vc/s Ross (2AM m ATORNEYS June 17, 1941.

F. R. CLARK MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOFS l8 SheetS -Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 26, 1958 June 17, 1941. F, CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS INVENTOR BYEMAC/J JPoss Cum;

w I TORNEYS June-l7, 1941." R, CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPP'ING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR EPA/VC/J 056 C 4/104 TTORNEYS June 17, 1941. F, R, LA K 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Shets-Sheet 9 I ll INVENTOR fill/V670 fioss (M/Pr TORNEYS June 17, 1941.

F. R. CLARK' MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1958 l8 SheetsSheet ll A TORNEYS June17, 1941. RRCLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet 12 )L- z 2 Z42 A TORNEYS June 17, 1941. F, CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS iwp aa INVENTOR fin/vc/sfioss CZA/PA I 9L %-%4 A TORNEYS June 17, 1941. I R, CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR fin/ ew IP05: CIA/M 6&4; *Z'm I A TORNEYS June 17, 1941. R CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 l8,Sheets-Sheet l5 INVENTOR ZTPAM/J floss 62mm W/M A ORNEYS June 17, 1941. F, R CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE! FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1958 18 Sheets-Sheet 1e INVENTOR fimvclsfioss (EA/P4" 0 y TTORNEYS June 17, 1941. F, CLARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. '26, 1938 18 Sheets-Sheet 17 INVENTOR I iZw m 1P0 (Zn/m "7141 TORNEYS June 17, 1941. F. R. c| ARK 2,246,243

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPOPS Filed Sept. 26, 1938 1e Sheets-Sheet 18 m A TORNEYS Patented June 17, 1941 UNITE MACHINE FOR WRAPPING LOLLIPO-PS Francis Ross Clark, Springfield,

Package Machinery 34 Claims.

lollipops is a diiiicult problem due mainly to the difficulty of holding the wrapper in place upon the irregular head during the formation of the folds. In prior practice the only way of insuring against defective wrapping has been to use a Wrapper sufiiciently large to cover up any gaps which might be left by slippage.

In accordance with the present invention the wrapper is positively held in place upon the head of the lollipop throughout the wrapping operation, and in general the folds are formed by mechanism which does not depend upon the head of the lollipop itself for determining the shape given to the wrapper or to its folds. The manner in which this is accomplished will be best understood after a consideration of the method followed and the mechanism used, and permits a substantial reduction in the amount of wrapping material used for each article. This is particularly important where the modern transparent cellulosic wrapping materials are being used, these materials being relatively expensive. In addition to the foregoing object, the invention includes improvements in the manner in which the lollipop is handled in its travel through the machine, improvements in the folding mechanism, and improvements in the mechanism by which the wrapper is twisted around the lollipop stick. The nature of these improvements can be considered better in connection with a description of the particular mechanism employed.

Referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the machine with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, looking from the right in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail of the operating mechanism controlling the fingers which centralize the lollipops for their initial contact with the wrapp Fig. 5 a detail elevation of the stick centering fingers;

Mass, assignor to Company, Springfield,v Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 26, 1938, Serial No. 231,779

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the centering fingers, partly broken away;

Figs. '7 to 12 are diagrammatic views showing successive stages in the operation of the centering fingers; V

Fig. 13 is a transverse section through the machine showing the mechanism which carries the lollipops from the centering fingers into contact with the wrappers, and the operating cams for causing back and forth motion of said mechanism and of the initial wrapper-forming mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a detail plan of a certain lollipop transporting device shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a transverse section, similar to Fig. 13, but showing the parts at a later period in the cycle, and illustrating the mechanism for causing vertical and horizontal motion of the wrapper forming mechanism;

Fig. 16 is a partial top plan of the lollipop forwarding and the wrapper-forming mechanism, at the same period of operation as in Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatic top plan view illustrating the travel of the lollipops through the machine;

Fig. 18 is a detailed elevation, taken. at a slightly later time than that of Figs. 15 and 16, showing the mechanism which receives the lollipop and wrapper from the former;

Fig. 19 is a frontview of certain mechanism shown in Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a view similar to Fig. 18 but showing the parts at a later period of the cycle;

Fig. 21 is a detail showing the mechanism for controlling the opening and closing of the carrier chain gripper to receive a lollipop and wrapper;

Fig. 22 is a detail of the mechanism at the side folding station, at a time shortly before the arrival of a lollipop and wrapper;

Fig. 23 is a similar view showing the start of the side folding operation;

Fig. 24 is a side elevation of the side folding mechanism at the same period in the cycle as Fig. 23, showing the cam mechanism for operating the side fold grippers; Fig. 25 is a similar View at the same period, but with the side fold grippers omitted and showing the mechanism for operating the side folders;

Fig. 26 is a view similar to Fig. 25, but taken at a later period in the cycle;

Fig. 27 is a front view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 26 at the same period;

Fig. 28 is a detail of parts appearing in Fig. 27 but at a later period in the cycle, the lower rear folder having started to move in;

Fig. 29 is a detail of the partially wrapped lollipop being carried away from the side folding station to the twisting station;

Fig. 30 is a similar detail showing the lollipop just arrested at the twisting station;

Figs. 31 to 35 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of the twisting mechanism;

Fig. 36 is a side View of the twisting mechanism in the position of Fig. 35, showing its relation to the carrier fingers;

Fig. 37 is a timing chart showing the variable motion given to the carrier chain and twister fingers;

Fig. 38 is a detail section showing the construction of the twister fingers;

Fig. 39 is a section on line 39-39 of Fig. .38;

Fig. 40 is a section on line 40-40 of Fig. 41;

Fig. 41 is a detail of the twister fingers in the position of Fig. 36;

Fig. 42 is a side elevation of the gearing for driving the carrier chain and twister head, taken on '1ine'42-42 of Fig. 43;

Figs. 43 and 44 are front views, at different periods of the cycle, of the gearing for driving the carrier chain and twister head;

Fig. 45 is a side elevation of the mechanism for ejecting the lollipop from the carrier chain;

Fig. 46 is a front View of part of the mecha nism shown in-Fig. 45;

Figs. 47 to 54 are diagrammatic views showing successive steps in the wrapping of a lollipop by the mechanism described;

Figs. 55 to 59 are diagrammatic views showing a modification of the twister mechanism of particular utility when the lollipops are provided with fiat instead of round sticks;

Figs. 60 to 67 are diagrammatic views showing successive steps in the wrapping of a lollipop with certain modifications of the folding mechanism;

Fig. 68 is a detail of a modification; and

Fig. 69 is a section on line lie-59 of Fig. 68.

The machine is mounted on a frame I! in which is Journaled a drive shaft 2 driven from any desired source of motive power. This shaft is joined by a chain and sprocket connection 3 with a cross shaft 4 from which the infeed conveyer. and certain other parts are driven. A gear on shaft 4 drives through gears 8 (Fig. 4) a shaft 1 which bears a sprocket 5 driving the infeed chain conveyer 9. The lollipops are generally fed to the machine by hand, being laid upon the slats I!) of the infeed conveyer'at intervals determined by blocks H and I2. As is best seen in Fig. l, the two sets of blocks are of difiering widths, the blocks H being positioned to engage the'stems of the lollipops and the blocks l2 being offset rearwardly to engage the heads of the lollipops while keeping the stems at substantially right angles to the conveyer. The infeed conveyer moves continuously, and the lollipops are picked from it and centralized with respect to the wrapper by mechanism best shown in Figs. 4 to 12.

This mechanism comprises stem grasping mechanism comprising spaced fingers I5 and an intermediate opposed finger I6 (Figs; 5 and 6) which are caused by suitable mechanism to go through the sequence of operation shown in Figs. 7 to 12. These fingers are mounted, in a manner to be described, upon a carriage ll (Fig. 4)

reciprocable horizontally upon a pair of vertically spaced rods l3 carried by a standard I9 secured to the frame. A link 20 couples this carriage to an arm 2| mounted, together with a second arm 22, on a shaft 23. A link 24 is pivoted at one end to the arm 22 and at the other is forked to embrace the shaft 2 (Figs. 1 and 4). A cam roll 25 on the link fits into a groove 26 (Fig. 4) in a cam 21 (Fig. 1) secured to the shaft. By this means the carriage I1 is given one reciprocation to carry the fingers l5, l6 from the position of Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 1G and back again at each cycle.

Journaled in the carriage ll is a cross shaft 23 having at one end a rocker 29. One end of the rocker is joined by a tension spring 30 with a pin 3| on the carriage; the other end bears a roll 32 riding on a rail 33. The rail is supported by a parallel linkage 34, 35, both pivoted to the frame; the former serving as a part of the supporting linkage only, the latter having an integral arm 36 carrying a cam roll 3"! running in a groove of a face cam 38 on shaft 4. As the lever 35 is rocked the rail 33 is raised and lowered, causing oscillation of the rocker 29 and hence of the shaft 28 irrespective of the longitudinal position of the carriage. The fingers I5 are secured one to a collar 39 and the other to a collar 49 fast on the shaft 28. The intermediate finger i6 is carriedby a collar 4| loose on the shaft. Collar 39 bears an arm 42 and collar 4| an arm 43, coupled by links 44 and 45 respectively to a single rocker 46 (Figs. 2, 4, and 5) pivoted to the carriage. As the shaft 28 is rocked the loose collar 4l bearing the intermediate finger l 6 is caused by the linkage described to rotate in the opposite direction. This causes the fingers I5 and iii to open and close so that they may grasp and centralize the stick of a lollipop; the fingers being provided with inwardly facing notches 41 for this purpose. Due to therunning connection between the rocker 29 and the rail 33 it will be understood that the opening and closing of the fingers'can occur independently of their longitudinal movement.

The action of the fingers is-shown in Figs. 7 to 12. In the motion of the carriage to the right as viewed in Fig. 12, the fingers are open sufficiently so that the fingers l5 pass above the oncoming lollipop stick 8 so as to clear it. The infeed conveyer is moving continuously, carrying the stick to the left as the fingers gradually close as'in Figs. 7 and 8. As the fingers close toward the position of Fig; 8 theyalso start their bodily motion to the left, gradually accelerating until their linear speed is greater than that of the conveyer. When the fingers have closed, as in Fig. 9, they contact the stick at three longitudinally spaced points (see also Figs. 13 and 14) and due to their notches 41 assume the complete support of the stick and carry it 01f the still continuously advancing conveyer into an ultimate position indicated by thecenter line 48 (position B of Fig. 17). Here the lollipop is received by a transfer plunger or stick gripper to be described below. Upon delivery of the lollipop to the transfer plunger the fingers 15, I5 again open, the opening movement being sufiiciently rapid near the start of the rearward reciprocation of the carriage so that the jaw it" does not interfere with the stick 8. With the jaws still open they return until they reach'the extreme right-hand center line 49 (positionA of Fig. 17), to receive the lollipopbeingfor-v warded by the next flight. 

